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Minneapolis North holds off Minnehaha Academy at the Breakdown Tip Off Classic

By Peter Odney, SportsEngine, 12/10/16, 7:00AM CST

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The Polars stood firm at the end of the game to fend off the Redhawks' comeback.

Isaac Johnson (35) scored 22 points, came up with six steals and paced Minneapolis North to a victory over Minnehaha Academy. Photo by Mark Hvidsten, SportsEngine

Isaac Johnson (35) scored 22 points, came up with six steals and paced Minneapolis North to a victory over Minnehaha Academy. Photo by Mark Hvidsten, SportsEngine


Larry McKenzie is never satisfied with the tempo a game.

The Minneapolis North coach navigates his sideline fluidly, side-stepping any out-stretched legs or substituting players in the way.

During his sideline marathon, McKenzie says that he’s looking for improvement from his team, as well as a faster pace of play.

“I just told the kids, ‘that’s my job’,” McKenzie said on Saturday afternoon after his Polars dispatched Minnehaha Academy (1-2) 79-74 in the Breakdown Sports USA Tip Off Classic at Hopkins High School.

“Whatever we did last game, we should be doing a little bit better,” McKenzie said.

‘A little bit better’ is an apt description of McKenzie’s time at Minneapolis North, where the Polars have risen to statewide prominence after cruising to last season’s Class 1A title.

“We’re not there yet,” McKenzie said of his program’s desire for continual success.

“Let’s do this a couple more times, then we can start talking about being a powerhouse,” McKenzie added with a grin.

If Saturday’s win over the Redhawks, powered by Division I prospect Jalen Suggs and ranked No. 2 in Class 2A by the Minnesota Basketball news, is any indication, the Polars’ campaign for postseason hardware for a second-straight season is off to a good start.

This team will be without graduated players Tyler Johnson, Patrick Dembley and Jamil Jackson, lynchpins of the the state title team, but junior center ODell Wilson IV says that the No. 1-1A Polars will carry the momentum of a fall win in the Class 1A football state tournament into the basketball season.

“We lost a bunch of major people for football and basketball,” Wilson IV said after scoring 22 points and grabbing 14 rebounds on Saturday.

“(We have the mindset) to carry on winning,” Wilson IV said.

The Polars stand at 3-1 this season, losing to No. 6-4A Apple Valley 84-70 in the season-opener.

Senior guard Isaac Johnson says that the bigger the stage, the more he enjoys playing.

“The atmosphere is great,” Johnson said of playing highly-rated opponents.

“(There is) a lot of competition in these kinds of tournaments,” Johnson continued. “I wish we had more of them,” he added with a laugh.

Johnson also scored 22 points for the Polars, adding six steals and fulfilling his role as equal parts floor general, rainmaker and zen master.

“I’m just so proud of him,” McKenzie said of Johnson’s on-court demeanor, a work-in-progress that has fully matured in his senior season.

“A couple years ago, he’d allow referees and some calls to frustrate him,” McKenzie explained.

“Now, he has a responsibility (as a veteran player).”

McKenzie’s coaching staff has its own title to defend—that of the best-dressed coaching battalion, replete with cufflinks and tie bars galore.

“I hope so,” McKenzie said with a laugh when asked if he thought his decked-out coaches were among the sharpest and snazziest.

“We’d put ‘em up against anybody."  

First Report

Minneapolis North scored 42 points in the second half to pull away from Minnehaha Academy in a 79-74 win on Saturday afternoon at the Hopkins High School Lindbergh Center in the Breakdown Sports USA Tip Off Classic. 

Junior center ODell Wilson IV scored 24 points, and senior guard Isaac Johnson added 21 in the win for the Polars, who are ranked No. 1 in Class 1A by the Minnesota Basketball News.

Johnson, a Western Illinois commit, also had six steals for Minneapolis North (3-1), and Wilson IV grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.

Freshman guard Jalen Suggs scored a game-high 32 points and hauled in 13 rebounds for the No. 2-2A Redhawks (1-2). Suggs is sifting through Division I scholarship offers from Minnesota, Baylor, Iowa State, Georgia Tech and Marquette.  

Odell

Odell Wilson IV (32) pulls down a second-half rebound for Minneapolis North in a victory over Minnehaha Academy. Wilson scored 22 points for the Polars. Photo by Mark Hvidsten, SportsEngine



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